The Legend of Sleeping Beauty
The Legend of Sleeping Beauty (Italian: la leggenda della Bella Addormentata) is an Italian animated fantasy adventure television series that was based on the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault, but it consists 26 episodes in a season, released in 1998 and also it was distributed by Mondo TV. This series eventually led to a successor series, Winner and the Golden Child. Plot In a very beautiful kingdom, with many woods, mountains and fertile valleys, the population is celebrating the birth of a princess. The king and queen, full of happiness because of the birth of little Kindra, have invited all the nobles to a big party at the royal palace. They forget to invite Maya, an ugly, villainous and hateful old countess who lives in a ruined isolated castle, considered by many as a witch. The celebrations are beautiful and everyone loves the princess and even the animals of the forest, who are destined to be the playmates of her youth, are bringing their gifts. The delegation is led by king Brion, a large good-natured toad who rules over the animals of the forest and he is accompanied by his knights and their respective squires all dressed in medieval clothing and armor. Among the knights next to king Brion, we see a collie with a proud but kind expression who is trying desperately to calm the exuberance of four fireflies (four fairies) who out of excitement are sprinkling the floor with a glittery magic powder which falls from their wings. All the guests are carrying coffers with their gifts when suddenly the room lights up with a magic light and five knights enter wearing their shining armor. These represent the Elements including the Fire, Water, Air, Light and Earth Knights and their armors are made of them that they represent. They look around as if they were expecting someone. The Fire Knight goes over to the Water Knight and whispers, "I'd like to know who first said, 'faster than light...'. He's always late!" Then each of them gives princess Kindra a special gift: the Fire Knight gives her the power to warm the hearts of those close to her; the Water Knight swears that the good that issues from the princess's heart will spread out beyond the boundaries of the kingdom, both in tiny underground rivers and in the gushing mountain streams touching the hearts of even the hardest; the Air Knight will make her spirit pure, lively and effervescent like mountain air and the Earth Knight gives her beauty. While everyone is celebrating, countess Maya makes her entrance and those nearest her when she comes in are distressed at her arrival. The entire crowd becomes silent as she advances towards the cradle and the room becomes light again when suddenly, panting and with a smile as if begging to be excused, the Light Knight comes in, “Here I am... sorry I'm late, but..." Maya turns suddenly on this new arrival with her face, the image of anger and also her temper which can continually change aspect (first a girl, then an old woman and then a dragon, etc.). Maya interrupts him brusquely with a ominous voice that echoes throughout the room, "Silence, or I shall put out your light forever!" Then she turns, stops next to the cradle and pronounces her curse. When little Kindra reaches her sixteenth year she will accidentally hurt herself with a spindle and sleep forever and within the entire kingdom. That will be the signal for the unleashing of the forces of evil and darkness, and (close up) these will then take over the whole earth. Before anyone else can react, the countess disappears in a burst of flame. The queen's tears of desperation have barely reached half way down her cheeks when the Light Knight goes over to the cradle, "I can't cancel her curse, but I can transform it. You won't sleep forever. You will be awakened by the kiss of a knight from a faraway land." The five knights try to reassure the king, queen and the others present. They will do whatever they can to fight Maya, above all because behind that curse there was a vaster plan of evil forces. They guarantee that the sleep will only last a short time so the world will be saved. In the meantime in a faraway land in the far North in a sparkling palace of ice, the king is celebrating the birthday of the little prince Rakhal. He is a wonderfully beautiful 5-year-old child, that he is lively, clever and deeply loved by all of his subjects. Also here in the middle of the celebration, the palace is attacked: by Magic, an extremely powerful wizard, with him there are many magicians, earth creatures and renegade trolls. By Tanatos, an evil force full of cruelty and folly and his army of skeletons who laugh as they kill. By Sterminio with his band of frightening beings with long black capes and flaming eyes and by Barbarian with his hordes of barbarians and cavemen. This alliance of evil forces destroys the city that surrounds the royal palace and they enter the palace and reach the throne room. Magic goes over to the boy with a cruel smile. The forces of evil are ready to kill him but the five knights appear from nowhere and surround the boy to protect him and there begins a terrible fight with magic weapons. In the general confusion, a large white snow leopard, the friend and protector of the little king, picks him up delicately in his jaws and carries him out of the palace to a secret hideout. The knights disappear as soon as they see that little Rakhal is safe.Magic is furious and places a curse on the child: the little king will never grow up and will remain a 5-year-old child forever. Magic, Sterminio, Barbarian, Tanatos and their troops go away from the throne room leaving the king and queen in despair. The Light Knight reappears and, not being able to do more than this, transforms the curse as he had done with the princess. He announces that when the little king meets and kisses the sleeping princess he will become the age he would have been if he aged normally. The years pass and Rakhal grows, but only mentally and spiritually and the raising of the prince is in the capable hands of the snow leopard and the glacier trolls who, though they seem terrifying and grumpy, are really good. Also princess Kindra, surrounded by love, is growing and everyone tries to protect her and keep her away from anything that might prick her. Scared that the princess might prick herself, the king has issued an edict banning all spinners from the kingdom. But one day, when the princess is sixteen years old, while she was walking through the woods near the castle, she sees a cottage and inside sees an old woman spinning wool. As the young princess had never before seen a spinning wheel, she is curious and asks the old woman to be allowed to try to spin the wool herself and the princess inadvertently touches the spindle and pricks herself. The face and body of the old woman immediately change into those of Maya who laughs evilly, while the house disappears and Kindra falls to the ground asleep. Maya's echoing laugh makes all the inhabitants of the castle become statues, frozen in the position they were and doing the things they were doing. All the animals of the forest with king Brion in the lead, run to the princess and the strongest of the knights carries her to the thickest and most impenetrable part of the forest. The smaller animals and all the birds prepare a bed of wonderful flowers on which the princess is then laid. Other knights cover the princess in a crystal container, while king Brion orders Sir Braveheart to leave immediately in search of the young man who will save the princess from the spell. The story will then follow the adventures of prince Rakhal, who, before he reaches the distant land where Kindra is sleeping, must confront innumerable dangers and numerous ambushes set for him by evil forces. The battle continues and the forces of the enchanted forest must fight the power of wicked Maya, cruel Magic and his army of witches and warlocks, Tanatos and his regiments of skeletons and Sterminio with his horde of assassins. In the end as always, the forces of good prevails. Characters 'Heroes' * Princess Kindra * Prince Rakhal * Sir Braveheart * Sluggard * Micr, Piath, Proth, Argy and Frick * The Elemental Knights 'Allies' * Cordall * Myellin * Chaca * King Brion and his Knights * Myellin the Owl * Cordall * Chaca * Aurora 'Villains' * Maya * Tanatos * Sterminio * Barbarian * Magic Category:Animated television series Category:The Legend of Sleeping Beauty Category:Series based on fairy tales